Vow to rebuild racing car team after fire

The boss of a motorsport team has vowed to "fight and rebuild" after its base was destroyed by a wildfire that swept through fields in rural Worcestershire.

Cars and other equipment belonging to Power Maxed Racing and parent company Automotive Brands were wiped out in the blaze near Bretforton on Saturday.

Owner Adam Weaver described how he watched 20 years of his working life "pretty much burn to nothing within 20 minutes".

He said the race team base was destroyed, alongside the manufacturing and stock warehouse, adding that the heat was so intense it melted gearbox casings and reduced engines to molten metal.

Mr Weaver said he got calls on Saturday to say there was a wildfire close to the warehouse, but when he got there he saw that the building itself was on fire.

The heat was so intense it melted gearbox casings, Mr Weaver said

Power Maxed Racing competes in the British Touring Car Championship and Mr Weaver said the fire came days before a race at Knockhill.

He told BBC Hereford & Worcester that he had since been offered the loan of two cars and they had been prepared in just three days, adding that the weekend's race offered the team "something positive to focus on".

"Anybody that's struggling with anything in their life right now whether it's personal, whether it's work, it just shows that you get the right people around you and look what can happen," he said.

"It's going to be an emotional moment seeing those cars go out."

Mr Weaver has vowed to rebuild after the fire

Mr Weaver, who posted a video on social media on the day of the fire, said the site now had burnt-out containers where doors had popped open, twisted and contorted from the heat.

He said concrete slabs had been reduced to gravel, adding: "There's just a tremendous amount of destruction - warehouses completely melted and twisted and fallen down, no sign of the products that were actually inside.

"You'd almost think the shelves were empty. The racking's all twisted and bent with nothing on it. It's horrible to see."

He said the fire damaged a "massive amount of touring car history" and Power Maxed Racing touring cars had gone as well as trophies.

The businessman who has appealed for support said: "Our factory may be gone, but our spirit is very much alive."